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Xató (pronounced cha-tó, with the accent on the long o at the end) is a famous seasonal salad from the Penedés region of Catalonia in northern Spain. Xató starts appearing on menus around Catalonia in late winter/early spring as it’s principal ingredient frisee comes into season. The frisee is the only green leafy goody in this dish, which is rounded out by raw pieces of bacalao (salt cod), tuna preserved in olive oil, anchovies, olives and romesco sauce.

This is one of many dishes from various parts of Catalonia that embody a real sense of regional identity. It’s a symbol of the cuisine of the areas just south of Barcelona; the coastal village of Sitges, the upper and lower Penedés, an area renowned as well for some of the best and most prestigious wines in Catalonia. Xató is also absolutely delicious!

I find myself in a moment of change and possibility, and one of the fruits of this moment is the concept of this blog. I hope it will serve as a means of sharing some of the knowledge, wonders, tricks, observations, flavors and histories that I have accumulated after years of immersing myself in the vast universe of all things cooking and eating on planet Earth.